Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has blamed youth unemployment for the various agitations across Nigeria, especially by the now proscribed IPOB.

Ortom said this in an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja, on Thursday.

He said, “I think that this agitation that we are talking about, if you look at the majority of the people that are visibly seen from the Biafran agitation that has now been proscribed; you discover that they are mainly youths.

“Youths are all over the place. If you hear what the Arewa coalition did, they are still youths. To me, I think that it is lack of employment. And it’s a very big challenge we have to contend with.

“I have known that even before I started campaigning to be governor even as governor, what troubles me every day is how to surmount this challenge.

“I feel that this agitation and all these problems, threats from here and there are coming as a result of not engaging these youths because the hand that is idle becomes the devil’s workshop.

“I think that we must concentrate our efforts at the local government, state and federal levels to ensure that we engage our youths.”

The Supreme Court has again ruled and confirmed its initial stand that Mr. Herman Hembe was not properly elected as a member of House of Representative for Vandeikiya/Konshisha federal constituency of Benue State.

Mr. Hembe had approached the Supreme Court again to refer the case to a lower court for retrial after the apex court ordered him to vacate his former seat and return all monies he earned in the House of Representatives since 2015.

The Supreme Court also awarded the sum of one million naira against Mr. Hembe in favour of Dorathy Mato, the defendant.

Chairman, National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, says he has provided N250 million as relief assistance to victims of the devastating flood in Benue State.

Dangote said on Sunday in Lagos that this was in response to the request by the Benue State Government.

He said that the committee had also approved the release of one of its completed IDP Hostels in the state as a temporary shelter for some of the displaced people.

Former President, Goodluck Jonathan had on Oct. 11, 2012, inaugurated the Dangote-led 34-member National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation.

The committee was charged with raising additional funds to support the government’s efforts to provide adequate relief and post-impact rehabilitation to persons and communities affected by floods in the country.

Dangote said the State Emergency Management Agency had disclosed that more than 110,000 people in 24 communities, including Makurdi, were displaced by the recent flood in Benue.

The committee chairman said that asides the donation to Benue, his committee had also donated N150 million to provide relief assistance to flood victims in Anambra,

Dangote, in a statement by Mr. Sunday Esan of the Corporate Communication Department of Dangote Group, said that the committee had also released N118 million to the National Emergency Management Agency.

He said that this was to augment the N1.6 billion released by the Federal Government for procurement of food and non-food relief materials in aid of flood victims in 16 states.

The Nigerian Air Force has administered free treatment to no fewer than 200 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) affected by the flood in Benue.

Squadron Leader Jeremiah Amase, told the Reporters on Monday in Makurdi that some of the patients were suffering from hypertension, Malaria, diarrhea, upper and lower respiratory infections among others.

The Chief of Air staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, had earlier inaugurated the “Medical Outreach Programme” to assist IDPs as part of the Nigerian Airforce’s ( NAF ) social responsibility to the people of the state.

Amase explained that the over 200 patients attended to responded to treatment.

He said that the clinic had not received any case beyond the medical team’s capability and commended the efforts of medical doctors from the Benue State University Makurdi for their collaboration.

He, however, disclosed that the major challenge facing the camp was lack of water and poor sanitation system which he said was being addressed.

Reports have it that the NAF is collaborating with the State Government, UNICEF and other international and local organizations to assist the flood victims.

Following about four hours of heavy downpour from late Saturday night to the wee hours of Sunday morning, many areas in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State have been left flooded. This includes Atusa, parts of Wadatta, Zone 4, Gana and Nyima.

Punch reports that A staff of the state house of assembly, Mr Tikili Simon said that some of the flooded areas from Zone 4 to Atusa and Gana were mostly affected because of lack of drainage.

According to him, ‘if you move from here to Atusa and the FADAMA area in Nyima which links Gana down to rail track along Barracks road, they are not conducive because there are no drainages’.

“All these places like Gana and Atusa are developing areas within 16 Kilometer radius, so government should do something to make these places habitable”.

Other representatives of the State for environmental issues have also laid the blame on lack of proper drainage channels.

The Benue State Government has set up a special committee to clear the backlog of salaries owed civil servants.

Gov. Samuel Ortom, said on Friday in Makurdi at a meeting with organised labour, that the committee would work out what was involved and work toward settling it.

He said that the committee would be headed by the Deputy Governor, Mr Benson Abounu, with the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Tony Ijohor, Commissioner for Justice, Mr Mike Gusah and some members of the State Executive Council as members.

Other members include the Chairman, Benue chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr Godwin Anya and his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Ordue Tartenger.

Other are the Chairman, Joint Negotiating Council I, II and III, Mr Philip Nongo, and the Chairman, National Union of Local Government Employees, Mr Terungwa Igbe.

Ortom said that civil servants were the engine room of government, and stressed the need to clear the backlog of salaries so as to motivate them to put in their best.

In their speeches, Anya and Tartenger urged the government to clear the outstanding salaries and strive to ensure that salaries were paid regularly henceforth. (NAN)

Over 500 persons were killed and 10 communities destroyed in the recent crisis in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, the immediate past Senate President, Senator David Mark, said.

Mark, in a statement by his media aide, Paul Mumeh, described the attack as ‘barbaric, wicked and inhuman.’

“I’m shocked beyond words at the extent of destruction in Agatu. It is unbelievable, unimaginable. Nothing whatsoever justifies this brazen act of wickedness meted out to the people of Agatu. My heart bleeds,” he said.

Mark, who was on assessment tour of the communities alongside some members of the national and state assemblies from his constituency, urged security operatives to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book.

He said that the attacks could not have occurred by accident. He said he suspected an orchestrated genocide against the people of Agatu.

He told the survivors of the attacks to remain calm and law abiding no matter the level of provocation, just as he assured that the government would intervene to bring succour to them.

Mark advised the people to take advantage of the proposed public hearing by the joint Senate committee on the crisis to bring the matter to public domain and seek redress.